Panic vs heart attack symptoms. besides ekg etc, are there any gut feeling ways to lean one way or the other when suspecting one or the other?

Yes/no: Classic cardiac symptoms in men for ischemia would be associated with a fixed amount of exertion/work or a very stressful situation that caused the release of your fright/flight hormones. Unfortunately the symptoms that you might experience could be identical and hard to differentiate. If concerned see your doctor for testing, such as a stress test.